DRM Cites Progress on the Receiver Front in India

The number of cars with DRM-enabled radio sets installed as standard equipment on Indian roads is nearing 1 million, according to Digital Radio Mondiale.

All India Radio, the public broadcaster, has engaged in the past few years in what it calls the largest radio digitization rollout in the world; with 39 high-power DRM transmitters operational, AIR is covering a large part of the subcontinent and an estimated 600 million people, DRM says.

It argues that, like elsewhere in the world, digital radio in India is driven by listening in cars and is important for the success of India’s digital rollout program. DRM says the receiver industry has invested millions of dollars in development of DRM-capable receivers and that the rollout of DRM-equipped cars is "growing quickly by the month"

DRM also noted that Communications Systems Inc. of India, manufacturer of the Avion DRM digital receiver AV-1401, has started its second production run after undertaking enhancements to the device.

The AV-DR-1401 has been upgraded with a new PCB design for enhanced sensitivity and an improved FM signal, it said. The manufacturer also upgraded the software for the Emergency Warning Functionality, so that it can be used when the receiver is in standby as well; and, the receiver is now able to pick up weaker signals and deliver those in better digital audio quality. Improvements have been done also on the antenna by providing a complete new design, also according to DRM news.

The 2015 Broadcast Engineering Society (India) conference and exhibition happened in January—and in the wake of the event, it seems appropriate to review the progress of Digital Radio Mondiale in India and with All India Radio in particular